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Merrill
} |name = Merrill |image = Merrill Portrait.png |px = 270px |gender = Female |race = Elf |class = Mage |specialization = Dalish Pariah |title = Marethari's First |location = Dalish Camp - (Origins) Sundermount - (Dragon Age II) |voice = Erin Matthews - (Origins) Eve Myles - (Dragon Age II) |appearances = Dragon Age: Origins Dragon Age II }} '''Merrill' is an elven mage and a temporary companion to the Dalish elf Warden during the Dalish Elf Origin in Dragon Age: Origins. She is a companion and romance option for a male or femalePriestly, Chris. "Dragon Age 2 Romances confirmed". BioWare Social Network. Retrieved 2011-02-15. Hawke in Dragon Age II."Merrill Official Character Reveal" Retrieved 2011-02-11. Merrill is described as a respected member of her clan, but her position as Marethari's heir has kept her slightly apart from the others.Priestly, Chris. "Merrill Appreciation Thread". BioWare Social Network. Retrieved 2011-02-10. If the Warden was Dalish, she displays her awkwardness around humans, stemming from Duncan taking away her friend during her life in Ferelden. Background Merrill was born to the Alerion clan, which wandered the hills of Nevarra. She was the third child of the clan with magic born to her. Following the next Arlathvenn, the gathering of Dalish clans, she was given to the Sabrae clan to be the First to Keeper Marethari. She is interested in recovering the elves' lost lore and possesses some knowledge of the elves' old magic. Merrill can recite all of known elven history and navigate the Fade, but has very little experience with the world or even her own people. Involvement Dragon Age: Origins Dragon Age II Romance Merrill feels terrible as she remembers the recent turn of unfortunate events. Though she doubts that leaving her clan was the right decision, she does not regret it; she would not have known Hawke better if she stayed. She admires Hawke's leadership, though she wishes that Hawke was Dalish. Merrill is troubled by the thought of their forbidden love; both her clan and her culture do not approve of humans. But in the end, their affection for one another bonds them together.}} Merrill apologizes for the incident at her house, and Hawke accepts, reasoning out that anger clouds judgement. Though she appreciates that Hawke is keeping her from harm, Merrill warns that she is beyond redemption. She also adds that staying near her may cost the lives of the people close to Hawke. Yet despite her imperfections, Hawke, steadfast in resolve, stands by her.}} In both variations of the romance, if Hawke is female, Merrill expresses her feelings of inferiority towards her, and states that she is not worth Hawke's time and attention. After the love scene, Hawke asks if Merrill could stay at the estate, her new future home, and be with each other. Despite the controversy it might cause, she happily agrees. But Merrill does not immediately move in; if Hawke checks on Bodahn, he suggests that "something" still draws her back to her house. He often reports Hawke of her absence upon entering the estate. If Hawke speaks with Isabela sometime later after the intimate relationship with Merrill has begun, she asks if Hawke is sincere with Merrill. If Hawke comments either sarcastically or in a kind manner, she responds that Hawke should always care for her, as she is in constant danger, as well as to be faithful to her. Finishing their long search and ending Quentin's madness, Hawke returns home devastated. Grieving silently for the loss, Hawke is condoled by Merrill. Both believe that Leandra is in the right hands now. Merrill expresses her concern for Hawke's safety if she is brought along on the battle against the Qunari. Settling the argument between the First Enchanter and the Knight-Commander, Hawke heads home. Once Hawke talks to her, Merrill informs Hawke that she will visit her house at the Alienage. Hawke then decides to drop by. It is found out that Merrill is still focused and looking for a solution to fix the eluvian; Varric fails to persuade her to calm down, and heads off annoyed. She opens up, as she thought she saw Tamlen (or Mahariel, if the Warden is of Dalish origin) wandering in the Alienage, and misses the clan, even the Keeper. Following their face-off against the demon at Pride's End, the Dalish hunters are looking for Marethari, and approach them with resentment. Regardless of whether Hawke leaves the clan in peaceful terms, blames the Keeper, or defends Merrill, as a result, she feels alone and rejected. Hawke then proposes to live with one another. Touched by the offer, Merrill accepts with joy. Merrill can become jealous if Hawke flirts with Zevran. She utters her dislike for him after their meeting with the Crows. As Hawke helps out Anders gather sela petrae for his "potion", he questions their relationship. He argues that she will never choose Hawke over the demon. Hawke ignores his reproach, and Merrill justifies that he and Justice are no different. Merrill can be kidnapped by the activists of the conspiracy set up by Thrask. With only Hawke in her mind during her captivity, she is grateful for her rescuer and lover. The romance strengthens and flourishes further as they have one moment alone before the final battle. Wishing that the whole incident is not real, Merrill is comforted by Hawke, promising that they will get through this together. Ending their conversation, they kiss amiably. As Varric concludes the tale of the Champion, he says that all of the companions have parted ways, but Merrill and Hawke remain beside each other. The following quests have [[Dialogue wheel|'flirt']] options with Merrill. Act 1: * Welcome Home Act 2: * Mirror Image, Back From Sundermount, Questioning Beliefs A [[Dialogue wheel|'special choice']] is available in Merrill, Friend or Foe?. }} Friendship and Rivalry Merrill's friendship can be gained by: * Siding with the mages or the elves in quests. * Choosing options that favor blood magic or demons. * By being agreeable to her in conversation. Rivalry with Merrill can generally be earned by contradicting the "hows" of developing a friendship with her, as mentioned above. Gifts Gifts that can be given to Merrill to increase friendship or rivalry: Initial statistics Dragon Age: Origins Class: Mage Specialization: None Starting spells/skills: Herbalism, Combat Tactics Mage: Arcane Bolt Primal: Flame Blast, Flaming Weapons Entropy: Weakness Dragon Age II Talent trees * Elemental * Primal * Spirit * Arcane * Entropy * Dalish Pariah (specialization) Gear Dragon Age: Origins Dragon Age II Merrill's armor, Vestments of the First, can be upgraded four times: * Act 2: Samite Lining, at Robes by Jean Luc in Hightown, for an extra rune slot * Act 2: Carved Ironwood Buttons, at Master Ilen's Shop in Sundermount, increases health * Act 2: Silver-Threaded Dalish Embroidery, at the top of Sundermount's Graveyard Path, +20 health regeneration rate * Act 3: Halla Horn Buckles, during her quest A New Path, for an extra rune slot If she is romanced during Act 2, she will equip Raiments of the Dalish Pariah. It is a white/silver-colored set composed of chain-mail with torso and shoulder plates, elbow pads, arm guards and linens with a light blue sash around her waist. Additionally, this outfit is devoid of her distinctive scarf and nail polish. The change is only aesthetic; there are no bonuses given by this armor except the runes and upgrades that have already been fitted onto it. Quotes * (During Night Terrors) "More demons. Feynriel's dreams draw them like pastries draw Varric." * (To Hawke on the quest, Mirror Image) "It’s a Keeper’s job to remember, even the dangerous things." * (Imploring for help on Mirror Image) "She has a disappointed frown that turns your bones into jelly! Please help me! You will, won't you?" * (To Hawke, when she visits the estate) "If you were Dalish, our people would have a kingdom by now. And half of Thedas would be attacking us. So maybe things worked out for the best." * (During All That Remains, if Merrill is Hawke's romance partner) "Ir abelas, ma vhenan." (Translation: Condolences, my love) * (Merrill's codex entry) "If you hadn't come to Sundermount that day... I can't imagine where I'd be now." * (During Memento of the Dalish) "Guarding a clan from the Dread Wolf... is a Keeper's place." * (If Hawke attacks the clan and is in a romance with her) "No Keeper, no clan, no people... I have nobody but you." * (To Hawke, if she was kidnapped and in a romance with Hawke) "When I thought they were going to lock me up, the one thing I knew I couldn't live without... was you." Gallery Merrill concept art.jpg|Concept art for Dragon Age II Merrill 02.png|Merrill fighting templars Trivia * Mary Kirby wrote Merrill for Dragon Age II.Kirby, Mary. "Merrill Appreciation Thread". BioWare Social Network. Retrieved 2011-01-10. * According to David Gaider, Eve Myles was last on the list of "actors I specifically asked for and got on the first try".Gaider, David. "Merrill Appreciation Thread". BioWare Social Network. Retrieved 2011-01-11. * Merrill means shining sea in Gaelic (Irish). * Dialogue between Carver and Merrill suggests that they may have feelings for each other, however, it is unlikely that they ever develop them (given that Carver either becomes a Templar and cannot associate with Merrill or leaves Kirkwall as Grey Warden). * If you give Merrill the Halla Carving bought from Master Ilen's Shop in Act 2, it will be on display on the table beside the door to her home in Act 3 and the rest of Act 2. Bugs * Upon returning to the alienage after completing Long Way Home, selecting the option "I don't think so." when asked if you wish to stop by later and flirting with her during Welcome Home may lead to a bug with her approval for Hawke, making it impossible to gain any friendship or rivalry points with Merrill henceforth. Note: It has also been noted that this bug randomly occurs even if you select the "I Will." option and later flirt with her. You'll know it's not working b/c you gain no friendship after all friendly and flirt dialogue options have been concluded in Welcome Home. If this does happen, simply reload and do not select the flirt option when chatting with Merill in Welcome Home. * In all the versions of Dragon Age II, at the beginning of Act 2, a bug can occur in which Merrill's companion quest "Mourning" appears in the journal as complete. This appears to be triggered by taking your sibling into the Deep Roads and having them contract the taint. However, this only affects the "Mourning" dialogue. All other quests in Act 2 appear to function as normal, and it has been confirmed that this does not affect the romance. Hawke merely needs 50% friendship/rivalry in Act 2, and to flirt whenever possible. * There have been some cases where, during the sex scene between her and Hawke, some graphical issues occur. Such reports claim that the two characters abruptly show up standing idly at the entrance to the Hawke estate, both in their intimate attire. The dialogue wheel, however, is still present and choosing any option will promptly fix the bug, placing the characters in their proper place and the scene will proceed normally. * On Xbox360 during Act 3, the Questioning Beliefes involving Merrill's reaction to the end of A New Path will occur, even before you completed the quest, where she is upset by the death of her clan's Keeper. It can be worked around, but is messing with the chronology of the 3 related quests. (2, 1, 3). * In Act 3, when initiating A New Path, it seems that if you are on a path of rivalry with Merrill, she will mention you keeping the arulin'holm from her, even if you gave it to her. * If her clan is wiped out after her personal quest A New Path, she is stuck to your party, being locked forever. This can be fixed by either taking another quest where a party member is locked in, such as Sebastian's Faith, or by returning home to the Hawke estate. Both methods will remove all current party members, restoring Merrill's unlocked status. * After consoling Merrill about the death of the clan, the Eluvian disappears from her home in Lowtown. This was fixed on patch 1.03. * During the epilogue cutscene, if Hawke had sex with Isabela but completed the romance with Merill, Varric will say "... all except Isabela" (or both names simultaneously). This has also been fixed in patch v1.02. * With patch 1.03, her Act 3 romance scenes (for Merrill, Friend or Foe? and The Last Straw) may not trigger properly, but the epilogue will still state that she was the only one who didn't leave the Champion's side. References External links * Short story on Merrill in Dragon Age II by Mary Kirby Category:Characters Category:Dragon Age: Origins characters Category:Dragon Age II characters Category:Elves Category:Dalish elves Category:Magi Category:Temporary companions Category:Apostates Category:Nevarrans Category:Blood Magic Category:Companions